


The Reckoning Begins

by subducting



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: (honestly just more of the master being so fucking desperate and not fooling anyone), Jackster if you squint, Other, master/doctor if you squint even harder, post episode 8, post the haunting of villa diodati, the fam are basically just an audience to the insanity, well well well if it isn't the consequences of thirteen's actions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22762039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subducting/pseuds/subducting
Summary: The Doctor has some serious explaining to do. Again.SPOILERS FOR SEASON 12 AND IN PARTICULAR EPISODE 8
Comments: 7
Kudos: 127





	The Reckoning Begins

She had half expected one of them, but both of them? _Together_?

Jack she might’ve been pleased to see, in less troubling circumstances, but _him_ ? And both of them lent so casually against _her_ TARDIS, too? She heard Ryan, Yaz and Graham pull up abruptly, mutters of shock at the sight of the Master and Jack, and she sighed, looking between the visitors mutinously.

“Hey!” Jack was the first to speak, his voice and expression overly jovial and friendly, and she winced internally, “Quick, question, Doctor,” he unfolded his arms, expression turning slightly maniacal, although that cheesy grin was still fixed in place, “When I said, _at all costs,_ I thought that was pretty clear-”

“Oh don’t,” she hissed irritably, but Jack had clearly got some steam going now, and she couldn't really deny that he had the right.

“Cause you know, it took a _lot_ of trouble, getting my hands on that thing,” he was continuing, whilst the Master just smirked, watching, “And a lot more trouble to get the message to you,” he was pacing backwards and forwards now, still in the same coat, “Because of, you know, fighting a **_war_ ** against the Cybermen,” he stopped, eyes wild, before he turned his gaze onto the three other humans, “And what the hell were you three doing? I’m pretty sure you realise how important it was, yeah? And you really trusted the Doctor to make the right decision? Do you not have _any_ idea what she’s like when it comes to her friends?”

“Of course they don’t,” the Master now rose languidly from his slouch against the TARDIS, “Or they didn’t, anyway.” He stalked towards the Doctor, and she glanced sharply at Jack, who just raised his eyebrows and arms in a shrug. “Don’t ask,” he said.

“I think I will ask,” she replied hotly, stepping quickly in front of the Master before he could get to Ryan, Yaz and Graham, instantly regretting it as she was suddenly way too close to him, watching him grin smugly down at her. “Oh, come on,” he purred, as she backed up a step, fighting to keep her temper, “What am I going to tell them now? You’ve had all the fun yourself!” He glanced past her, eyes glittering as he looked hungrily at the fam.

“Was she magnificent?” he asked eagerly, and she didn’t dare turn to meet their eyes, “Did she bite? Did she throw all caution to the solar wind and bend space and time to meet her needs? Her _wants_?” He shook his head, glancing back at the Doctor, and she was snared helplessly in his gaze. “Why are you so ashamed of it? I bet it was glorious.”

“Alright, creepy,” Jack grudgingly interrupted, and the Doctor felt a rush of affection for her old friend as he waded into the fray, “We don’t need another Lord Byron, one of him is way more than enough.” He wandered over, dwarfing both Timelords, and the Doctor glanced at him searchingly. “How are you both here?” she asked blankly, trying to sort through the multitude of problems in her head. At present it was less of a “to-do list” and more of a “screaming vortex of catastrophes that was generating more and more by the second”.

“Hang on,” Graham piped up, and three pairs of ancient eyes turned to him, “Are you two together?”

The master shot Jack a look of disgust, while Jack just winked at Graham and mouthed " _jealous?"_ The Doctor’s fragile mind sprung yet another crack as she processed the implications, before Graham realised what he’d said and hurried to rectify it. “I mean, are you working together, my god-”

“” _Working together_ ” would make it sound like we’d actually achieved anything,” the Master said, sighing dramatically, “It’s more of a… well, I suppose it’s like your little fam. Blundering around, attempting to help, generally only succeeding in an insignificant, useless kind of way-”

“I found him not long after I bumped into these three,” Jack interrupted, speaking directly to the Doctor now. His expression was still wrinkled with a frown, but she clung to his every word even so, hoping for a way out. He had to have a plan, or some semblance of one, or he wouldn’t be here.

“And he hasn’t tried to kill you yet?” she asked, eyes flicking to the Master, who looked wounded. “Me? You have such a low opinion of me! I mean, have I ever done anything to deserve such an accusation?”

“Yes,” said five voices, united in a flat, tired chorus. The Master only chuckled.

“Well, if you want to hold the past against me, be my guest, but you’re going to want to at least consider holding off on it until you get to the future and see what you’re up against.” His eyes once again went hungrily to the Doctor’s face, and she looked to Jack.

“Look, I know he’s… him,” Jack said, expression suddenly uncharacteristically dark, “ _Believe me_ , I’m not happy about it either, I have plenty to hate him for, but. You haven’t seen it out there, Doc.”

His pained expression, brutalised and beaten down, was one familiar, far, far too familiar. She passed a hand over her face and nodded. “TARDIS,” she said tightly, marching towards it, glancing sidelong at the Master. “And then you and I are going to have ourselves a little chat.”

  
Her voice was dangerously chilly, but he simply looked even more thrilled. “Oh, _go on_ ,” he urged, reaching the door at the same time as her and examining her face keenly, arm blocking her entrance as he loomed over her, “Let them see more fury, why don’t you?”

She looked back, for the first time since they had found the two interlopers, at the fam. Jack was framed with them and she felt the devastation of failure splitting her chest. By now Jack knew her for what she was, if only by reputation in his travels around the universe. And Ryan, Yaz and Graham… they had urged her to stop, tried to prevent this. But she had ignored them, and she could see the realisation hollowing their gazes as they looked at her. They had finally seen the mask fall away completely. She had brushed aside their ideas and acted with all the petulant fury of a child throwing a temper tantrum. Except instead of scattering toys, she had sown chaos across the stars, a cosmic bedroom where instead of ripped down posters and overturned desks there were civilisations aflame and planets razed.

They had now the measure of her rage, the danger of her desperation. The choices she made, the power she wielded- reluctantly, miserably, as every turn she made turned out wrong. She ducked into the TARDIS, ignoring the Master- somehow, in spite of the rage, in spite of the pain and the questions, she ignored him, amazed that she had spent so long searching for him so recently. The question of why had almost paled into nothingness in the face of her catastrophic mistake. Oh, she would ask him- and in her current state she was feeling no need to ask nicely at all- but ultimately she realised it almost didn’t matter.

Gallifrey or the universe? The Earth or the Daleks? The Master or the Lord President? Clara or reality?

She had never really had a choice, she reflected, watching the haphazard crew file into the TARDIS, to do good. She had only ever had a choice of which particular bad she acted upon.

**Author's Note:**

> LMAOOOOO GOD IM A MESS IDK ABOUT Y'ALL ALL I CAN DO TO FUNCTION RN IS IMAGINE JACK AND THE MASTER SHOWING UP LIKE -slow clap- nice FUCKIN JOB you EMOTIONAL DINGBAT
> 
> god im so hurt she so sad thank u chibnal for the snap we deserved i fuckin loved it but also i'm hurt
> 
> [microsoft word paperclip voice] hi, it looks like you're trying to clear up the horrible mess you made in step one! would you like some help with that?


End file.
